Dangers Of The Wastes
Within the United Wasteland, there are a number of hazards to both the lives and healths of the inhabitants, some of which are the plant-life, the animal-life, and the inhabitants themselves. A reduced list of the dangers can be found below: Inhabitants Raiders There are many people in the wastes that choose to life a life of tyranny, often travelling with the intention of pillaging settlements, killing travellers they meet and generally wreaking havoc wherever they can. In the United Wasteland, there are many groups of raiders, some small, some large. The largest groups prefer to call themselves clans, some of which are listed below: * Clan McCulloch - Originally founded by a small group of survivors in the Scottish Highlands, they have grown to become one of the largest clans in the United Wastelands, with a suspected 350 members. They implore a range of guerilla warfare tactics, using cave systems they've discovered in the highlands to increase their efficiency. * Clan Windsor - Although originally devoid of life, a group of non-travelling raiders referred to as Clan Windsor have occupied the castle and have been using it as a base of operations for their nefarious activities. They have a suspected 200-odd members. * Clan Brannagh - Although relatively small in number, Clan Brannagh gets an honorary mention when raider clans are discussed, due to their small number, but high kill rate. Although only comprising of 30-odd members, they're reportedly responsible for the complete massacre of a dozen settlements throughout the wastes, ending each conflict by razing the buildings to the ground. Slavers Within the wastes, there are people who decide to kidnap other inhabitants, turning them into slaves and often selling them on to other inhabitants for a large sum. Most slavers use an explosive collar which they place on their victim and threaten to use to blow up the victim's head, if they don't comply. There are certain slavers with a known history of greatness in their field, as follows: * Pitbull - At his time, he was reportedly one of the most successful slavers in the United Wasteland, having taken, reportedly, 800 slaves, most of which were ghouls. He sometimes assisted his fellow slaver's with their financial problems by "buying" their lovers. * The Yorkshire Terror - This slaver reportedly had a faulty collar and knowingly used it to enslave hundreds of people, despite the fact that it would never explode and kill a defective slave. He is often seen as an icon to newly starting slavers who wish to be so feared that the threat of violence is merely a formality. * Cook - Cook is probably the most famous failure as a slaver - despite a good record leading up to his death, it appears that he forgot to activate the collars on a group of ghouls he had captured. What was to have been a record-changing haul, turned into a bloodbath. When his body was discovered, the slavers that found it took a piece of what left of his body each, as a symbol of his mistake, lest they forget. Feral Ghouls Feral ghouls are merely normal ghouls that have lost their ability to reason, most likely as a result of the damage radiation had done to their brain, prior to becoming a ghoul. However, they are, in fact, healed by radiation and some ghouls actually glow from the radiation stored within their bodies. Feral ghouls often attack passers-by and those who enter their "hunting grounds", with the intention of feeding from the victim. They can, however, be fooled by the use of a ghoul mask, often crafted from the face of a real ghoul, or parts of human faces stitched together to form a single mask. This particular tactic is often reserved for the most desperate of travellers, or the most morally depraved. Defendtrons Within the wealthier regions of the wasteland, can be found Defendtrons, a form of automated security robot, who's primary function is to protect the user, as the name suggests, whilst their primary function is modular, allowing them to fit many roles in society, such as being ticket-collectors, greeters, bar-tenders or, for certain clientèle, sexual partners. Flora As well as the animals and people within the Wasteland, there are also a lot of varieties of plant-life, some of which pose a threat to the other beings within the wasteland, such as: * Irradiated Dandelions - The standard "dandelion" has, as a result of the nuclear fallout, developed to become a radiation spewing being. When any of the flower's carpel senses itself being pulled from the main body of the flower, the anthers will expel a radioactive agent, often powerful enough to immediately give a low level of radiation poisoning and sometimes even capable to causing 2nd degree burns to the body of the victim. Some ghouls have been known to live amongst the dandelions so that they can live an elongated and peaceful life. Such attempts have, as of yet, been unsuccessful. * Blood-Drops - originally known as snowdrops, the effects of radiation has caused them to grow to a much taller height and become carnivorous. They often hang above common pathways through wooded areas and quickly drop upon their victims, before dragging them back up into the heavens. They have acquired their name from their blood red colour, and the fact that one of the biggest clues that they are nearby, are the individual droplets of their victims' blood upon the floor. Fauna The United Wasteland is not only home to the sentient inhabitants, or the beings above, but also to a wide range of animals, for which more detailed information can be found here. However, there are some animals of note, as follows: * Carnivorous Grubs - Some small bugs have become more carnivorous, often working together to take down a human or ghoul. * Exploding Caterpillar - The typical caterpillar, thanks to the vast amount of radiation, plant-life and irradiated water, has managed to become a much larger creature with the ability to fertilise it's own spore-like children. When the caterpillar goes to feed on an unsuspecting victim, one of two outcomes will occur - either the caterpillar will over-power the victim and feed, or the "victim" will defeat the caterpillar. Unfortunately, post-mortem, the caterpillar expels all of the spores within, which immediately bury themselves into the nearest living being, eat their way through the victim, often causing extreme pain and madness within them. When the victim has succumb to the injuries, the spores will continue to feast on the victim and, once there is nothing left to consume, hatch, to reveal a caterpillar, ready to begin the cycle again. Weather The United Wasteland has a few very definite weather patterns. Before the nuclear fallout, the UK was prone to frequent rain-fall and this has not changed much, however, rather than just being water, it is also highly acidic, sometimes so much so that it will eat through the skin of those caught in it. This has led to the popularisation of headwear. In contrast to this, there are solid weeks where the rain does not fall, but the sun beats heavily over the wastes, causing high levels of dehydration, forcing people to drink from highly irradiated sources just to survive, which, later, results in other health problems.